Sophie grew tired of the constant Neverseen attacks that were terrorizing the Elven population, along with her friends and family. After regaining contact with the Black Swan, Sophie and her friends begin to fight back. But after learning the heartb...
"Ready?" Biana asked, holding up her dress as she decent from the stairs.
"Yeah... let's do this," Sophie confirmed, holding her shawl closer to her body. This was a time to relax and not worry, and she needed to act like it. She will worry about tattoos and searing pain after she danced for a little bit.
"Wait? Where is your brother? Isn't he going as well?" Sophie asked as they stepped onto the platform.
"He is already there. He said he needed to 'psych himself up' whatever that means." Biana said, rolling her eyes. Psych himself up? Was he planning on asking someone out? Sophie couldn't stop the feelings of hurt wash over her at the thought. But the idea was quickly brushed aside when she saw the sizeable elegant hall that the Gala was being held in.
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Sophie couldn't help but feel like a princess. Young elves in glittering dresses and suits, along with other species, were littered around the hall, waiting for the first dance to begin. But then Sophie's wonder stopped when she heard whispers and hushed tones all around her. Ever since she was a small girl, she had a fantastic hearing so she could all hear what they were saying.
"That is the girl that was kidnapped."
"Black Swan spy."
"A brown-eyed freak."
Linh noticed Sophie's distress and looked around at the people gossiping about her, Linh's eyes going wide after realizing who they were whispering about. Linh put her arm around Sophie and walked with her, glancing at Sophie to check for tears dripping down her cheeks. But Sophie couldn't cry, she has done it too much. She was all too used to it, the whispers and rumors. They were all whispering things that were true.
She was a freak.
She was kidnapped.
The Black Swan used to use her to spy on things in the elven world.
No matter how much her friends tried to convince her otherwise, she knew they were wrong. They entered the reception hall, which was decorated with twinkling lights and beautiful colors and ribbons. But Sophie couldn't appreciate them anymore, everything just felt so cold. The colors felt distant, and the lights felt artificial.
"Sophie. Please look at us." Linh begged. Sophie pulled her eyes from her shoes to look at her best friends.
"None of what they are saying is true." Linh started. But Sophie didn't want to be treated like a little girl that needed to be protected anymore. Her friends didn't deserve that. Sophie held up a hand to stop her.
"It's okay, you guys. I'm used to it. Let's just have fun!" Sophie said, plastering a fake smile. Linh and Biana looked at one another before nodding and bringing Sophie into the crowd.
The first dance started, and girls were rushing to find someone to dance with, Biana and Linh included. Well, every girl EXCEPT Sophie, she just rushed to the sidelines, avoiding any male coming to her direction. Sophie was about to melt back into the shadows like she did at every party until she remembered what happened back at Everglen. The fucking shadows were almost eating her. She also remembered Reese's words, echoing in her head. She needed to show she wasn't going to be pushed around. But it was no use. Sophie couldn't help but avoid everyone and think back to those words whispered about her. She spotted a board full of information about where the party was being held. Apparently, it was an old embassy for the elves, which was abandoned long ago for unknown reasons. They decided to host the Gala here to honor the great strides towards peace with different races and how it symbolizes everything the Gala stood for.
